Lucas was selected as the 2012 recipient of this award as a result of her contributions to Indiana’s legal community over the last 35 years, including crafting groundbreaking legislation regarding universal precautions, infectious waste, and school attendance to protect patients, their caregivers, and the public during the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In addition, she was instrumental in the enactment of Indiana’s then-controversial voluntary remediation and brownfield programs for cleaning up contaminated properties and putting them back into productive use.

The Indianapolis Bar’s Women and the Law Division established the award in 1990 to honor outstanding women in the legal profession. The Antoinette Dakin Leach Award is presented only when the division deems a worthy candidate exists.